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British RoyalsPrince & Princess of Wales

Kate at 40: her ten most famous moments as a royal

As Kate celebrates her 40th birthday and her first decade as a member of the British Royal Family, today we’re looking at 10 of her most famous moments as a royal.

2011

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How can we not begin with her wedding to Prince William on 29 April 2011? After an eight-year relationship, William and Kate announced their engagement in November 2010. They were married the following April at Westminster Abbey, and Kate became Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge, Countess of Strathearn, and Lady Carrickfergus.

2012

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On 1 March, Kate joined The Queen and The Duchess of Cornwall for a visit to Fortnum & Mason to view their range of Diamond Jubilee products. This would be the first major engagement that The Queen and two future queen consorts would undertake together.

2013

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William and Kate’s first child, Prince George, was born on 22 July 2013 at St. Mary’s Hospital. The birth of the future king was celebrated around the world.

2014

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The Cambridges undertook their first official tour as a family of three in April 2014, visiting Australia and New Zealand over a period of three weeks. Though it was a long tour with a wide range of engagements for William and Kate, the engagements with baby Prince George proved the most popular. The family is pictured here on 20 April at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney. Prince George received a toy bilby after a real bilby was named in his honour.

2015

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William and Kate’s second child, and only daughter, was born on 2 May 2015. Princess Charlotte occupies a unique role in royal history: she is the first daughter who was not displaced in the line of succession by the birth of a younger brother (Prince Louis in 2018).

2016

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On 22 April, US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama paid a visit to Kensington Palace to meet with William, Kate, and Prince Harry. Though this alone would be enough for a front page story, Prince George arriving in his bathrobe to meet the Obamas became the iconic image of this meeting.

2017

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On 31 August it was 20 years since the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. The Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace was transformed to feature Diana’s favourite white flowers, and William and Harry, joined by Kate, pay a visit on this special day.

2018

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On 23 April 2018, Prince Louis was born at St. Mary’s Hospital. He is William and Kate’s youngest child.

2019

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In 2019, Kate designed, alongside landscape architects Davies White , the RHS Back to Nature Garden. It was inspired by Kate’s love of nature and the outdoors, and was meant to inspire children and families to play outdoors and use the outdoors as an outlet to support their mental health.

The Back to Nature Garden was on display at RHS flower shows across the UK (including the iconic RHS Chelsea Flower Show, which saw members of the Royal Family visiting the space) before becoming a permanent display at RHS Wisley.

2020

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In the midst of the pandemic, Kate launched a photography exhibition with the National Portrait Gallery: Hold Still. Meant to be a ‘snapshot’ of life in the UK during the pandemic lockdowns, over 30,000 citizens submitted pictures with 100 ultimately chosen as part of the exhibit. Kate ensured that the photos were on display in rotating exhibits across the UK, and ultimately published a coffee table book of the final 100 portraits.

2021

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In arguably her most iconic red carpet look to date, Kate stole the show at the premiere of the latest James Bond film, No Time To Die, in September 2021. Dressed in Jenny Packham and looking like a Bond Girl (the gown was part of a capsule collection inspired by iconic Bond Girls), Kate helped usher in a slight return to normalcy with the return of film premieres.

About author

Jess Ilse is the Assistant Editor at Royal Central. She specialises in the British, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish Royal Families and has been following royalty since Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee. Jess has provided commentary for media outlets in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Jess works in communications and her debut novel THE MAJESTIC SISTERS will publish in Fall 2024.